Hierarchy
by Ashlyn-i
Summary: Trunks has a lot to worry about at the moment: someone is trying to kill his family, ruin his business and wipe all Saiyan blood from the face of the Earth. A new secretary is the least of his problems, or so he'd like to think. Unfortunately, the women of Capsule Corp don't appear to agree. Set after Dragon Ball GT. Eventually TrunksXOC. Please read and review.
1. Pregnant

I've only gotten into Dragon Ball Z recently so my characterisation might be a little off at the start but I'll try my best.

Warning: I don't know when I'll be updating as I've got university and all that jazz but I am trying to set aside a day for Fanfiction so please hang on.

Disclaimer: I don't own Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z or Dragon Ball GT, not any of the characters. I will be making some of the Capsule Corp characters my own but you don't see much of them anyway. :P

* * *

It began with four words: "Mr Briefs, I'm pregnant."

It occurred barely a minute after said Mr Briefs had sat behind his desk and begun plotting his activities for the day, none of which coincided with his secretary's schedule. The result would amuse his secretary for several days.

Trunks had been thinking about something completely different when his secretary made the announcement. It was one of the rare occasions when his desk wasn't piled high with papers and instead had his feet on it. His chair was pushed back, his eyes were closed and he was trying his upmost to ignore the clicking of his secretary's heels and her voice as she listed the events of the day. Because he was trying to ignore her, it took a moment for the statement to sink in.

Then he started, feet in the air for the briefest of seconds before crashing to the floor as he leaned forwards, mouth agape: "What!?"

His secretary tried not to giggle as she watched her boss internally panicking as she repeated, "I'm pregnant."

"But... but..." Trunks spluttered as he desperately recalled all business parties and Christmas events – anytime he had been alone with his secretary and anywhere near alcohol – trying to remember any proof of possible guilt. "It's not mine!" he finally concluded loudly when he came up with nothing.

His secretary let her boss squirm for a moment as she enjoyed the rare occasion of having his attention before relieving him: "Correct, sir, the child is not yours. Nevertheless, sir, I am pregnant and will be requesting maternity leave to start in about four months."

Trunks gave himself a minute to calm down and return to 'business mode'. When he had done so, he asked, "why are you telling me now? Why should this concern me?"

"Well, I have also written it in the following letter," his secretary responded, pulling it from her pocket, "but I doubt you read anything put on your desk, so I thought if I tell you, you are forewarned. As for why it should concern you, why should it concern anyone, particularly the president of one of Earth's largest and richest corporations, I don't know. Unless I organised and sorted out everything for said corporation because said president spends most of his days escaping through a window."

Trunks froze guiltily, his hand on said window's latch.

"Mr Briefs," his secretary continued in a calmer tone once she knew he wasn't going to escape, "I understand that you find this job stressful and, I admit for a man your age, boring. However, if I am going to be on maternity leave, I cannot do everything for you like normal. I cannot sign the documents or go the meetings or make excuses for you. And if you want to continue in this fashion whilst I am gone, you must assist me in some way."

"In what way?" Trunks sighed, turning his back and leaning against his route of escape. He might as well hear her out; she was correct when she said she did everything for him.

"You need to help me find a replacement."

Trunks groaned. "The least you could do is meet the replacements I have found for you," his secretary snapped, "I've made a list and have decided that the best method of finding the replacement is trial weeks, where they can come in and shadow me to see what I do and (most importantly) get to understand you. I believe that's the only reason I've survived in this position for as long as I have."

Trunks thought about it. He did enjoy the freedom his lenient secretary allowed him and was beginning to regret taking her for granted. If she was leaving, it would be best to find another like her. "Very well," he agreed, "I'll help you find a replacement." He turned back to escaping.

A hand clamped down on his belt. "Thank you, Mr Briefs," his sweetly smiling secretary said, "now there's a board of directors meeting in five minutes and you haven't been to one all month. You might as well go along to this one and get used to being there. I'm not going to be around to go for you."

Trunks moaned and let his pregnant secretary drag him away from his freedom.

* * *

Well, I've enjoyed writing this, even if none of you like it.

If you did, please tell me because things like that encourage me to write more.

There is a handy little button for expressing things like this below.

Also thank you to Writer'sFantasy and Guest who requested that I used "quotation marks" for character speech. I must admit, it is an automatic reaction to use 'apostrophe' and I've used it in all other fics without problem, but I've changed it because I can understand your concern. Also, I didn't know it was used for thought; I've been on this website four years now and not known that, what have I been reading?

Thank you :D


	2. Family Woes

Okay, I'm back! I've had a scary few days when my new laptop refused to turn on because the on/off switch was jammed, but it's all good now and I'm ready to continue.

Thank you so much to all of you who read my previous chapter. I hope this is to the same standard :)

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

* * *

Trunks technically didn't need the limousine. He was perfectly capable of flight on his own. But there was something relaxing about the squishy seats after a long day in the office, or out of the office depending if he could avoid his secretary for long enough to sneak away. And never had these seats been more comfortable. Trunks sank back into them with a loud groan.

His chauffeur glanced in his rear view mirror to observe his exhausted boss. "Difficult day in the office, sir?"

"You could say that," Trunks muttered. He was unwillingly recalling everything now: the four hours in the boardroom as the directors took the opportunity to tell him everything he'd missed out on over the last month; meanwhile his secretary took the moment to pass him the documents his desk had been strangely lacking when he arrived that morning, knowing that if he refused to sign them now it would look bad in front of some of his company's most important men.

And then out of all the things he had had to do in the afternoon, it was play golf. His secretary had explained to Trunks countless times, golf was the perfect businessman's sport as it wasn't stressful, required very little effort and offered many opportunities to talk business. That may be so, but it didn't help when Trunks could pot a hole-in-one with his eyes closed, which he assumed was because of his super Saiyan strength and accuracy. It had taken him some time to learn how to swing poorly. For he had learnt over the years, eighteen hole-in-ones may be impressive, but it was very dull waiting for his opponents all the time.

With a small amount of begging, Trunks managed to persuade his secretary to allow him to fly there by himself. The brief flight there was the only amount of fun Trunks got that day, which his secretary understood. On route, Trunks had been tempted to skip the charade and seek out Goten, but his guilt got the better of him. Not only would it look bad on the secretary that arranged it, it would also be unfair on his chauffeur who would be meeting him at the golf club to drive him home.

So that ride home was the first time his chauffeur had seen him that day and didn't understand that it was probably the first day where Trunks had done a complete days work. He had another business contract signed over golf, agreed to dozens of research projects and had had business drivel going round and round inside his head since the four hours of boredom torture.

None of this Trunks would tell his chauffeur though; it wasn't his place to know such things about his boss. Instead he would complain down the phone to Goten later.

* * *

Trunks arrived home in time for the family meal. Bulma had finally had enough of not seeing members of her family for days on end – mostly Trunks – and so had insisted that the family sat down and ate the evening meal together. And because it was Bulma, it was obeyed.

And so Trunks had to sit through yet another meeting discussing pointless topics, but in this case the topics were the daily goings on of his family and there was food involved. So Trunks kept his eyes on his plate and desperately tried to hold back the comments about his sister's new top or his mother's new favourite shop. Only his father looked as bored as he felt.

It was coming to the end of the first course when Bulma turned to her son and asked the dreaded question: "so, Trunks, how was your day? Anything exciting happen?"

Trunk ran through his day in his head and sighed, "not really, Mum: there was a board meeting, contract over golf, my secretary's pregnant..."

It didn't occur to Trunks until after he'd said it that this might not be a good thing to say. He glanced up in the hope that no-one had heard it to find the rest of his family staring back at him intently. Bulla's hand was inching down for her mobile phone. "What?"

The casualness of his tone seemed to strike a chord somewhere inside Bulma. She took a deep breath. The rest of the family moved to cover their ears.

"What do you mean 'What'!?" Bulma screamed, "Listen here Trunks, I am not going to let you turn out like your father-"

"Hey!"

"You are not going to get away with casually tossing this aside! I demand that you take proper responsibility for your actions and consequently introduce her to us and invite her to live here. I will not allow this poor woman to go through the same torment I did when I had to bring you up alone! And there will be a proper ceremony because we can't have your image being damaged by a wayward child..."

"It's not my kid!" Trunks interjected before his mother travelled even further down the wrong path.

There was a pregnant pause then his mother said, "oh" and sat down. Bulla muttered something under her breath and deleted the contents of her text message. Vegeta was still fuming about the previous jab at his reliability.

"Are you certain?" Bulma asked after thinking it over.

"She is married, Mum."

"Why bring it up if you're not involved?" Bulla huffed, tucking her phone away before her mother noticed it had been out.

"It's just on my mind because she wants maternity leave which means I need to find a replacement."

"And do some work for a change," Bulla added in an undertone so only her brother heard it. Trunks glared at her but didn't disagree.

"It'll be a hard job replacing Karen, that's for certain," Bulma commented as she cleared away the dishes, "she's a very organised lady."

"Who on Earth is 'Karen'?" Trunks asked.

Bulma glared at him. "That's her name isn't it? It was how you introduced us at the latest party Capsule Corp organised."

"Oh, I guess I forgot." Trunks had the decency to look guilty, which restrained his mother's temper somewhat. She understood being president must be a difficult job, but to forget the name of his closest assistant... Bulma shook her head and began serving pudding.

* * *

The next day, Trunks was once again obedient to his secretary's wishes and let her drag him along to meetings and oversee projects. As they separated for lunch, Trunks remembered what he had been meaning to ask her since the previous evening.

"Is your first name really Karen?"

"Yes sir; that is how I introduce myself: Karen Rhodes, secretary to the president of Capsule Corp."

"Huh, well, learn something new every day."

"Yes sir," said Mrs Karen Rhodes, successfully resisting the temptation to hit her boss.

* * *

That's that. Now everyone knows, it's time to move on and start having real fun! Because do you really believe that these replacement secretaries are going to be in any way normal :D

If you have any suggestion on what kind of secretary personality you would like Trunks to endure, please feel free to say. The more the merrier :)

[Oh, and for future reference, the chauffeur is called Larry. I don't know why but that's the first name that came into my head when I saw him]


	3. First replacement: Dragon

Hey, been a while; thank you for your suggestions. Just to let you know, Trunks will be going through a period of different secretaries with different personalities all for the purpose of your amusement, because some of the ones I've got planned really don't work well with our favourite Capsule Corp president. ;)

* * *

Two weeks had gone by since the news that Mrs Karen Rhodes, Trunks' secretary, was pregnant. The whole of Capsule Corp seemed to know and some had even got it into their heads that Trunks was behind it. In the first week, he had had so many come up to him congratulating him, he declared that he'd fire the next person who mentioned it to him. However, he said this to Karen, in the privacy of his office, so she didn't take it too serious; particularly when the vice-president then walked in, spotted the two together and, with a knowing grin, asked Trunks when it was due. This caused Trunks to scream "how should I know?" and throw himself out of his escape window whilst his secretary both distracted and explained everything to the vice-president.

"She's my secretary!" Trunks complained to Goten later that evening.

"Yeah, so shouldn't they assume it's yours?"

"I don't approve of those sorts of relationships!"

"Good for you," Goten replied distractedly. Trunks paused and groaned.

"You don't believe me, do you?"

"Huh?"

"Are you paying me any attention?"

"Uh... it's just Valese's here..."

Trunks sighed. It was pointless talking to Goten then if he had his girlfriend over. Trunks had finished his rant so he had no other reason to keep the couple apart other than out of spite. And jealously wasn't something Trunks wanted to get in the way of his friendship. "Okay Goten, go be with her. Talk later."

"Sure!" Trunks wasn't certain the joy in Goten's voice was a result of the prospect of talking with him later. With a sigh, he hung up and stared out of the window. When was this nightmare going to be over?

Unfortunately for Trunks, it was just beginning.

* * *

Trunks was running late. He had been on route to Capsule Corp when a mini explosion had caught his attention and before he knew it smoke was drifting across the windscreen. By this time he had already changed, ordered Larry to park the car in the first reasonable space and had flown off in the direction of the catastrophe.

It wasn't a big disaster - no evil forces trying to conquer Earth or experiments that had gone out of control - just an exploded bakery which became a large fire. Trunks made it his mission to seek out people trapped within and get them to safety until the firemen arrived. By then he was half an hour behind schedule, but wasn't worrying. It wasn't like anyone at Capsule Corp stuck strictly to schedule, certainly not its president.

Someone had not mentioned that fact to the person waiting for him. After Trunks had managed to dislodge the persistent directors who insisted on bombarding Trunks on the walk from the lobby to his office every morning, he was greeted by a surprise visitor sitting beside his secretary's desk, legs crossed and eyes closed.

Trunks looked her up and down: a woman in her late thirties, her dark hair pulled back in a tight bun, a pair of glasses perched on her nose, dressed a grey and muted violet pinstripe suit and practical black heels; she was tapping her fingers on the desk impatiently, her foot bobbing in time with the drumming nails.

Trunks didn't know who she was and so decided it wasn't his problem. It was only as he passed her that the woman's eyes snap open and she said, "You're late!"

Trunks froze and looked down at her. "What?" Her rapid pace when talking caused Trunks to originally believe that he had misheard.

"You're late," the woman repeated, clicking open a silver fob watch and double checking the time, "by forty three minutes."

Trunks glanced at his watch; it read quarter to eleven. As far as he was aware, he hadn't had any appointments booked for ten 'o'clock. "I apologise, I wasn't aware I had any morning appointments, please come through," was what he tried to say, however the woman was speaking again before he could get a word out.

"You're late and you smell of smoke; not the proper appearance of a company president. If I was a businesswoman, my first impressions would not rate you very highly. Even though I'm not, my first impressions of you are still rather low."

Trunks could think of nothing else to say but, "What?"

The woman stood so suddenly that Trunks took a step back. She looked him up and down with a disapproving air, "tardy, scruffy attire, incompetent in quick thinking situations-"

"What? Where did that come from?"

"Your chosen first words," the woman snapped, "any other president of your position would have created and argued several counterpoints to my opinions and yet all you do is gawp."

"Well, I'm sorry but I didn't expect to be cross examined first thing in the morning!"

"Adding to rapidly growing list of negatives are quick tempered and disrespectful to employees."

"I may not know anything about you, but I know enough to know that you are not an employee here!"

"That is where you are wrong, Mr Briefs," the woman said sharply, readjusting her glasses (a habit not because they needed adjusting), "I am your new secretary."

Trunks stopped. There was nothing else he could say but the long moan of "What?"

The woman looked so shocked that she didn't criticise Trunks at first for his expression of obvious displeasure. And Trunks was saved from the rant clearly being constructed inside her head by the arrival of his secretary.

"Thank goodness," was the first thing he said before racing to her side and demanding, "Who is this woman?"

His secretary looked between Trunks and the woman behind him, who was beginning to shake with rage at the thought of being ignored. Swiftly totting up the best possible way out in her head, his secretary smiled at the furious woman and spoke to her first, "I apologise, Tanis, if my boss has offended you in any way. I did not forewarn him of your coming."

The woman, Tanis, huffed and muttered, "a secretary's job is to make sure everything runs smoothly for her employer. I would have told him at least three weeks in advance." Trunks had to hold back a groan at the thought. He rarely thought about what he was doing the next day; let alone what was happening in three weeks.

His secretary returned her attention to him. "I apologise, sir, for not forewarning you. This is Ms Tanis McCoy. She is the first on the list of prospect replacements for my position that I gave you."

"I wasn't aware that we were starting the hunt for a replacement now," Trunks said slowly. He could feel Ms McCoy's glare on the back of his head and could almost hear the thoughts going through her mind: 'he was given a list and still didn't recognise my name; how much interest has he got in finding a replacement?'

"I know, Mr Briefs," his secretary nodded, "but as I talked with Tanis on the phone earlier this week, I realised we should start sooner rather than later so that my replacement has time to get used to their role within the company."

'And I have time to get used to them,' Trunks thought. He sighed and turned to continue to his office. Since he was passing her anyway, he made a slight bow to Ms McCoy and apologised, "at the time I was unaware of your position and may have come across as impolite. I hope we can put aside out differences and overcome our negative first encounter." With that he departed into his office, shutting the door firmly behind it.

In the privacy of his office, Trunks moaned softly and rested his head against the door. He had faced monsters and aliens with the power to destroy planets and conquer the world, but nothing could compare to five minutes alone with that dragon. He doubted he'd still be sane if he had to work alongside a secretary like that. Through the door he could hear Ms McCoy commenting, "He has redeemed himself somewhat with that display of manners but it will take a lot more than that to impress me."

"Yes Tanis," his secretary responded, "now how about you help me in ordering these reports Mr Briefs has to look through."

Realising it was a perfect opportunity whilst the dragon was distracted, and possibly the only chance he'd get for a while, Trunks hurried across the room, out of the window and into the freedom of the open sky.

* * *

There we go! I hope you like, or dislike, Tanis. Don't worry if you don't like her; she's not staying long. Just long enough to really get on Trunks' nerves; and it's all downhill from there, poor guy :)

Just to warn you, because of uni, I may not be updating for a while. Just bare with me for a week or two and I will hopefully have sorted everything out long enough to write the next chapter.

Until then :)


	4. Dragon's Fire

Hey, sorry about the wait. As wonderful a character as Tanis is, she's really difficult to write. However, because I was getting nowhere with this chapter, it gave me a chance to think about the plot for this story, because I know bits to it, just not how to join those bits together.

That's now sorted, as you will soon discover...

Oh yeah, I will now refer to Mrs Karen Rhodes, current secretary to Trunks, by her first name Karen because with all the secretaries that will be coming and going, I'm going to need some named definition between them all.

* * *

Trunks discovered several things he hated about the new secretary 'Tanis'. She was a stickler for timekeeping and appearances, criticized every detail of every paperwork he signed before sending it off, even the ones that Trunks purposefully told her not to touch, and, possibly the worst, she thought she could do his job better than he could, or knew somebody who could.

"If she loved her old boss so much, why doesn't she go back and work for him?" Trunks growled under his breath the second afternoon since Tanis' arrival at Capsule Corp.

"I understand there were some changes within the company that she disapproved with," his current secretary Karen explained.

"They probably couldn't stand to have her around any longer," Trunks muttered.

Karen lightly hit him over the head with the book she was holding. "That's impolite, sir."

"Still... she's a dragon in human dress."

"I understand you do not get along, sir, but we all must work with people we don't like at some point in our lives."

"What do you mean?"

"I have to work with you, sir."

"Hey!" Trunks complained, but he could see from Karen's smile that she was teasing him. He let out a sigh and allowed himself to grin too. It was the first time he had all day. "I still can't stand her. Why did you hire her in the first place?"

"Her résumé was the best out of those on the list I gave you. She has had the most experience with a number of high ranking executives in several leading corporations. I thought it best to start with her then." Karen caught a glimpse of the look on Trunks' face and sighed, "Although, I must admit, I did not take into account her personality."

"We both agreed that I needed someone who was capable and with a personality I could work with. Tanis clearly doesn't fit this second section. Please get rid of her as soon as possible. I don't want to work with her."

Karen nodded slowly, "very well, I will tell her not to come back next week."

"Next week!"

"We might as well let her complete the agreed training week. It would be impolite to do otherwise."

Trunks groaned, "Fine."

"Presidents shouldn't groan!"

Trunks rolled his eyes and resisted burying his head in the relaxing darkness of his palms as the aforementioned dragon of the office stalked in and plonked piles of paper down on Trunks' desk. "Here is the data you requested I find. I also did some extra research and have brought information in areas similar or connected to the data you needed."

"That's all well and good, Tanis," Trunks began.

"A company president should never refer to his employees by first name whilst in a professional environment!" Tanis snapped, "You should call me Ms McCoy and I will refer to you as Mr Briefs or sir! Anything else is unacceptable of a company president!"

"Very well, Ms McCoy," Trunks growled, "but how am I supposed to find the data I need in amongst heaps of irrelevant data? If I had needed extra information, I would have asked for it. Now I needed to read everything you have brought me in order find what I actually need!"

"Not so, sir," Tanis countered (and Trunks did not miss how she sneered the word 'sir'), "because I have highlighted everything you requested so that it will stand out and collected all documentation directly related to what you requested here." She stabbed a finger at a thick pile of documents which had been stapled together.

Trunks stared gloomily at it. 'Bother,' he thought moodily.

"Is there anything else you need, sir?" Tanis asked in a voice thick with contempt.

"Coffee" was the only response Trunks could think of.

Tanis turned to stare at Karen. Karen stared back. "Is that not the conditions of your employment?" Tanis snapped when the uncomfortable silence became too much.

"No, Tanis," Karen replied (and Trunks marvelled at his secretary's ability to keep her voice steady), "as _my replacement_ and subsequently not an _official_ member of Capsule Corp staff, it is your job to fetch Mr Briefs' coffee: one of the many joys of being a _trainee_."

Trunks held his breath as Tanis' chest swelled with indignation at Karen's cool jibe at her position, but she seemed to keep control of her tongue long enough to give a short bow and hurry from the office. Trunks tried very hard not to cheer and/or laugh as Karen leaned forwards and picked the massive pile of paper off his desk. "If you would like, Mr Briefs, shall I go through this and reprint the information that is actually required?"

"Are you sure?"

"Positive, after all, I can't bear to see a secretary's job done poorly."

"Thanks," Trunks sighed in relief, "that will be a big help."

The phone on Karen's desk began to ring. Karen excused herself and left the office. Trunks tried to return his attention to the reports he had been reviewing shortly before Tanis' interruption, but couldn't get himself to calm down. He therefore heard the squabble that came about as Tanis tried to answer Karen's phone at the same time his secretary herself did. After snapping at each other for a few seconds, Karen appeared to win because Tanis strode through the doors to his office in a huff as Karen said, "Good afternoon, Karen Rhodes, secretary to Capsule Corporation President Trunks Briefs, speaking."

"Goodness!" Tanis cried, "is that any way to answer the phone when your secretary to the president of Capsule Corp?" She placed Trunks' coffee on the desktop carefully, in surprising but relieving contrast to her tone of voice.

Trunks sighed and began adding sugar, something he hadn't needed to do until recently. For some reason nowadays he felt he needed the following sugar rush. "It's a habit now," he explained, "shortly after she was first employed, one of my first partners was an elderly gentleman who was a great businessman but every time she spoke to him on the phone, he believed that Capsule Corp had been taken over by a woman. After dealing with that for several months, it's obvious why she answers the phone the way she does."

Tanis sniffed. "A memory for faces and voices is essential for a businessman," she sniffed, "a foolish company and employer would hire a man like that, a buffoon who mistakes a high ranking president with his minor secretary?"

"I didn't say any company employed him," Trunks said, coldly, "I just said I was partnered with him."

"Indeed?" Tanis sneered.

"Indeed. Besides, I know Grandfather meant it as a joke."

There was a pause.

"Your Grandfather..."

"That's right," Trunks said calmly, "my Grandfather, you know: founder of Capsule Corp; Inventor of the Capsule; probably the best person to ask for advice concerning this company, except maybe my mother."

Another longer pause during which the phone on Trunks' desk rang.

"Is there anything else you need, sir?" Tanis asked – the most formal and least scornful she had sounded all day.

"No, nothing else; you are excused," Trunks said as he picked up the phone.

"Did you enjoy that?" Karen asked him once he put it to his ear. Trunks watched Tanis leave and replied with a note of satisfaction, "Yes, immensely."

"I told the caller that you were currently in discussion with someone but that I would put them through as soon as you were finished. I considered that you might feel better about discussing business when you are in a good mood."

"So you were listening in on us?"

"The door is not as thick as you would like to believe, sir, and the keyhole is a decent size for eavesdropping. Thought I could not hear you word for word, I could guess the gist of the conversation."

"What's Tanis doing now?"

"I sent her to shred and recycle all the documents I deemed were not needed from the data she collected earlier. I must say, she did not accept the task graciously."

Trunks laughed. "She's out of the office at least."

"Oh, no. She's kneeling in the corner, glaring at me."

Trunks rolled his eyes and changed the subject. "Who's calling?"

"I am assuming you have heard of the company Picotech."

"Pic-co-tech..." Trunks repeated slowly as he thought, "they're the rising computer hardware company aren't they? Their latest portable computer hardware has been escalating in success on the technology market."

"I have their president, Koizumi Akihiko, on the phone. He has matters which he desperately wishes to discuss with you."

"Really!" Trunks pondered the possibilities to such a call before making a decision. "Put him through."

"Good afternoon," Trunks said. There was a pause on the other end of the line before a low, hoarse voice asked, "Am I speaking to Mr Briefs of the Capsule Corporation?"

"That's me," Trunks responded, trying to sound cheerful. 'Jeez, this guy has such a depressing voice.'

"I am Koizumi Akihiko, president of the Picotech production company. I have arranged a meeting with your secretary to discuss a business partnership."

Trunks paused. Was this guy such a novice that he didn't understand how to arrange business meetings properly? Usually, if two big businessmen wanted to meet, they would get their secretaries to discuss dates and times but wouldn't do it themselves. For this guy to be doing it personally meant either his business was in such a poor shape that he couldn't afford a secretary, or...

"What's wrong?"

"Eh?" Koizumi Akihiko hadn't understood Trunks' question or suddenly serious tone.

"What is wrong? I don't normally get business presidents calling me personally to arrange business meetings."

"No..." Koizumi Akihiko agreed, "But I am afraid of her..."

Trunks was about to tell him not be ridiculous, but then he imagined a secretary like Tanis on the other end of the line. So instead he asked, "Why?"

There was a pause before Koizumi Akihiko said, "Over the last few weeks, there have been many attempts to break into my company and steal my technology. I found in my secretary's desk a letter offering her a lot of money to spy on me and my business deals. That is why I am calling you personally. To warn you..."

'Warn me,' Trunks wondered.

"Because this will be a major deal that could change both of our companies," Koizumi Akihiko explained, "I would like to meet you face-to-face and discuss it further but I am afraid to leave for an unknown business centre with unknown security."

"I assure you," Trunks started, "the security at Capsule Corp is extremely high standards..."

'What with all the Z-fighters wondering in and out now and again,' he finished in his head.

"I'm sure it is, I'm sure it is," Koizumi Akihiko was saying when Trunks tuned back into the conversation. "What I mean is, Mr Briefs, there has already been one attempt on my life."

Trunks froze. "What?"

"Be careful."

And then the phone line went dead.

* * *

Ah, my superglue. How I've needed you.

Seriously, whilst writing out this chapter (and there were many attempts at that) I realised one thing: firing secretaries won't be fun unless there is something really important on the line. Enter important business associate and possible multimillion business deal...

Opps! Spoilers! ;D


	5. Dragon's Teeth

Okay, this has now gone on a major tangent. I have no idea where this has come from, but I can assure you that it wasn't planned. Unfortunately, it means that poor Tanis will not be getting as much screen time as I had expected, but...

this makes for an interesting story. :D

* * *

"There has already been one attempt on my life": the words rang in Trunks' ears. They blanked Karen who entered to tell him that the appointment had been arranged for later that week. He didn't register that that meant he would have to bring Tanis along with him.

"There has already been one attempt..." What on Earth could they be developing that would cause someone to try and assassinate their president?

'Or it was all a joke?' Trunks hoped feebly. A joke to keep him on his toes and keep him interested in the business deal. After all, although Picotech was rising in the ranks of computer technology, it was still a small technology company if you compared it to Capsule Corp. Doing a deal with Capsule Corp would increase their sales tenfold, but what would Capsule Corp get in return?

However much he hoped it was all make believe, something in the man's voice told Trunks that that wasn't the case. This man was genuinely scared, so scared that he didn't trust his employees. But if there really had been an attempt, it was highly probable that means of communication such as phone lines had been compromised.

Trunks stood up. He had to make a decision and fast. Did he really believe Koizumi Akihiko or did he leave it to chance and go when they'd agreed?

Trunks sighed and strode around his desk, catching Karen off guard. "Um... sir..."

"Call Larry; tell him to prepare the car. We're going to visit Koizumi Akihiko."

"Now, sir?"

"Yes, now."

"But, you have a meeting with Mr Milligan and Mr Rogers, directors from the mechanical engineering company Scrap Trap..."

"Scrap that meeting," Trunks ordered, "they only want to renegotiate percentage boundaries and I'm not changing my mind."

"And you have a public outing with Mr Zlatan Gold, president of your rival Practicorp..."

"He's always rearranging dates for his own profit and to make a fool out of me, always last minute too: time to turn the tables, don't you think?"

"But, why are you going there now, sir?" Karen asked, stopping at her desk in order to contact Trunks' chauffer as Trunks hurried past it and Tanis who was watching the unfolding scene with an expression of obvious disapproval.

"Because," Trunks said, turning to face his secretary, "the voice I just heard over the phone was the voice of a man scared for his life and in desperate need of assistance. He has asked for my help and so I am giving it to him."

Tanis snorted in disapproval. "You are a company president," she said coldly, "not a knight in shining armour or the police. You are not here to help any desperate souls who call you up and you certainly shouldn't cancel other highly important meetings in order to do so."

"What's so important about attending a pointless meeting that won't change my mind and being seen in public being nice to my rival?" Trunks thought for a moment. "Okay, I can understand the latter, but he always cancels on me so there's a high probability that..."

The phone on Karen's desk rang. Karen managed to pick it up without interference from Tanis this time because said replacement secretary was busy having a glaring contest with her boss. Karen took one look at the number and giggled, "Oh look! Speak of the devil!"

Trunks and Tanis broke contact to watch Karen rearrange her features into something resembling seriousness and put the phone to her ear. "Julia, you read my mind. I was about to call you. About this afternoon, that's right, I was about phone to cancel. That's right, cancel. Unfortunately something really important has come up which Mr Briefs must see to at all cost." Karen's voice had adopted a tone of mock concern. "Oh yes, absolutely terrible. Cannot wait I'm afraid. Do pass his apologise along to Mr Gold won't you? You will. Oh! How wonderful! Well, it was nice talking to you... yes, yes, you're right. We simply must rearrange it. Yes, but not quite now. Must go to deal with this very important issue. Of course I'm needed by my boss, aren't you? Yes, yes, you are. Okay, goodbye Julia... Goodbye." Karen put the phone down with a satisfied smile.

"Satisfying?" Trunks asked.

"Extremely," Karen said smugly, "who's hastily rewriting their boss' diary now, Julia?"

Trunks turned back to the stunned Tanis. "That's everything then," he said with a grin and began to move away again.

He had just exited his secretary's office when Tanis exploded. "How can you just pamper to your boss' selfish desires?" she screamed at Karen, "as a secretary, you are supposed to remain in control of the schedule and organisation of this company? How are you meant to be an effective assistant when you submit to the whimsical desires of a man whose limited experience of business means he can mistake a simple telephone conversation as an SOS message?"

Calmly, Karen walked around the desk and followed Trunks out of the door. "You answered your own question, Tanis," she replied, "He's my boss. Man my desk until I get back, please."

The two left a dumbfounded Tanis standing in the office. In the elevator, Karen caught a glimpse of Trunks' expression which had been fixed into a scowl by the word "whimsical". If Karen knew anything about her boss, it would be that any adjective that made him sound pathetic and helpless put him on edge. Came from a childhood of an estranged father as far as Karen could tell from Mrs Briefs' monologue at the last Christmas party; all Karen had asked was about how Mr and Mrs Briefs had met.

"She's probably not aware of half the things that come out of her mouth," Karen said reassuringly. "If she was, she would understand that she is one of the worst examples of a secretary you can find."

Trunks managed a grin.

Karen smiled in response, paused then asked, "How did you know it was a cry for help?"

"Apart from the fact that he told me?"

Karen looked shocked. "He didn't mention anything like that to me!"

"You probably should have guess thought."

"How?"

"Why did he phone personally and not his secretary?"

Karen's eyes widened as the elevator reached its destination and Trunks exited, swiftly followed by his secretary. Karen glanced sideways at her young boss as they hurried along. Tanis had complained many times to her about Trunks' youth and inexperience but Karen had to hand it to the young president; he was sharp, sharper than most, certainly Tanis, realised.

* * *

Larry was waiting for them as Karen had requested. No-one questioned their leaving. It was only when they were inside the limousine that the thought struck Karen, "um, sir, isn't the main Picoware building located in East City? Don't tell me we're flying all the way there?"

Trunks was silent for a moment before ordering Larry to fly into the heart of the city. "Where and when was the original meeting with Koizumi Akihiko taking place?"

Karen would have scowled if this wasn't a usual question Trunks asked about important business meetings. At least this time he had a valid excuse for not listening to her. "Thursday, 12pm for lunch at the Six Wings Hotel," Karen told him, checking it on her PDA.

"So, he wants to meet here in West City, a place he's never been before, despite the fact he told me himself that there have been attempts on his life. Find that odd?"

"Now you mention it," Karen said thoughtfully, "if I knew my life was in danger, I would much prefer to stay at home."

"Because familiarity is reassuring, correct?"

"Well... yes..."

"Did you notice the telephone number was withheld?"

"Oh, yes, I did think that was odd."

"That means," Trunks said confidently, "he's already here in West City. Did he ask to see me today?"

"No, I offered him a time slot but he said that it would be a long discussion and you know I like to leave at least half an hour between your appointments in case of delays."

"Yet, despite the importance of this deal, he did not request knowledge of availability for tomorrow, am I right?"

"Yes. How did you...?"

"Because I know he's nervous about security. He told me he's nervous about the security at Capsule Corp. He doesn't trust us. But he's meeting us in a public domain. Obviously, he'll use tomorrow to cover all the dangers of meeting in Six Wings Hotel and find the most secure location within that building for our meeting."

"So that's where we're going now?"

"No!" Trunks scoffed, "despite the dangers of moving between buildings, I don't think Mr Koizumi Akihiko is foolish enough to trust a phone line. If someone was listening in on our conversation then that will be the first place they'd go too."

"So where are we going?"

Trunks put his palms together and rested his chin on his fingertips. "You're a high ranking businessman in fear of your life. You have fled to an unfamiliar city where you plan to meet with someone you believe can help you. We know he is not staying in Six Wings Hotel, which is good because the only reason to stay in such a hotel is for the food; the rooms, particularly the bathrooms, are awful."

"I'll agree with you if it's anything like the Six Wings Hotel in Satan City," Karen said, "how they have managed to open a chain of hotels in every major city is beyond my understanding." She leant back and began recounting possible hotels businessmen who have met her boss in the past have stayed. Trunks dismissed every single one of them. "I can't think of anywhere then, sir," Karen said with a sigh.

Trunks sighed and pulled a capsule out of his pocket. "We'll have to check them all manually," he said, clicking the end. There was a puff of smoke and Trunks' spare clothes materialised in his hands. He turned to his secretary and looked her up and down. "Don't suppose you have anything more casual to wear?" Karen looked at him disapprovingly. "I take that as a no."

"This is why you're never caught when you sneak away," Karen muttered as Trunks' removed his glasses, "There's no point telling the police to look for a smartly dressed businessman with lavender hair when the smartly dressed businessman is dressed like an aged street kid."

"Hey! Scruffy is the height of fashion!"

"Over ten years ago, sir, yes it was. It was the height of fashion when I was a teenager."

"Must have been long ago," Trunks said with a grin, slipping out of the limo as it paused at the red light. Karen wound down the window to listen to her boss' instructions. "I'm going to check out some of the lesser known hotels in this area. You can check the high class hotel residences, since you're dressed that way. Out meeting place is the Satan's Fist Dojo if we lose contact or find Mr Koizumi Akihiko."

"I disapprove of you going off by yourself?" Karen told him sternly as the lights began to change and cars began to honk.

"Relax, I'm not going to run off," Trunks reassured her, "besides, I have someone in mind that I know will help out."

* * *

Even if she was only a couple of years off becoming a teenager, Pan was certain that shopping would never be a hobby of hers. Currently, she was stuck in the changing rooms of yet another clothes shop, waiting for Bulla and Marron to finish. There was already a small mountain of bags waiting in the car for them, yet Bulla insisted that she wasn't finished. Android 18, Bulma and Chi-chi were somewhere else in the same clothes shop, giving the younger girls some time to be together.

There was no denying it; Pan was bored. When she asked about Trunks, Bulla had said he was busy at work with the new secretary. From the way she said it, Pan couldn't work out whether that was a good thing or a bad thing. She had asked why he needed a new secretary. His current one was nice enough, or from what Pan had seen of her at the Capsule Corp Christmas parties. Bulla had said that she was pregnant. Pan didn't exactly know what to make of that.

Marron poked her head around the door of her cubicle. "Pan, could you fetch me this in a smaller size?" Pan took the top offered to her and scowled at Marron, "Pretty please?"

"Fine," Pan growled and turned to go when her mobile phone began buzzing. 'Who could this be?' Pan wondered. Her eyes widened as she read the number, 'Trunks?' Having no reason not to answer, Pan put the phone to her ear, "Hey! What's the matter?"

"Where are you?"

"Uh... the Parade Shopping Mall, why?"

"Can you meet me outside?"

Pan's heart skipped a beat. Glancing around to make sure no-one was eavesdropping, Pan backed against a wall and whispered into the microphone, "You're not skipping work to see me are you?"

"What? No!" Trunks replied. Pan didn't know whether to feel relieved or disappointed. "I'm currently trying to track down one of my clients. He said that his life is in danger or something like that. Unfortunately, I don't know where he's staying. Thought you might want to help me look for him. That's all."

Pan felt the pace of her breathing increase. Trunks was asking for her help, help in finding someone who was under attack. That sounded like something exciting – or more exciting than clothes shopping at least.

"If you don't want to..." Trunks began because Pan hadn't responded.

"No, that's fine!" Pan said hurriedly, "great, even! Meet you outside, yeah?"

"Yeah," Trunks sounded relieved, "see you in a moment."

"See ya!" Pan squealed and the phone call ended. Racing back to the changing rooms, Pan grabbed her bag and ran out, shouting, "Sorry! I've gotta run! Been nice! See ya!"

There was a pause, then the changing room doors opposite each other opened and two teenage girls peeked out. "That was Pan, right?" the bluenette asked the blonde.

"She was in a real hurry."

"Yeah, what's with that?"

"She didn't bring me the top."

"What's with her?"

* * *

And right at the very end, I decided to throw another character into the mix. And you won't be seeing much of Pan until the main plot of the story takes root, so I thought a little bit of her here wouldn't go amiss.

Besides, this makes for some awesome awkwardness next chapter ;)


	6. Dragon's Flight

Wow, this little plot device really has become a giant tangent. Poor Tanis really doesn't get any screen time this chapter :( I'll try and get back to her asap but this little arc will become important later on

This has the suggestion of TrunksXPan just because I couldn't resist it. You'll understand when you get to it ;)

* * *

Despite the fact that they'd just arranged it, Pan was surprised to see Trunks waiting outside for her, particularly in casual dress. "You're starting to make me think that this is all just some excuse in order to see me?" Pan said with a grin. To her shock, Trunks' face grew serious and he began to move away.

"Come on, let's go."

A bit hurt by the cold shoulder, Pan hurried after him. "Where are we going?"

Trunks pulled a little piece of paper torn from a notebook from his pocket. "I've made a list of all the hotels he could be staying in. Since it's highly unlikely they will give any information to us over the phone concerning their current guests, our only hope is to go to each of them and ask for him."

"Who is he?"

"Koizumi Akihiko, president of Picotech Production Company."

"Oh, I've heard of them. Dad has one of their computers in his office. Why's he here?"

"To do business with me."

"Why is someone after his life?"

Trunks shrugged. "I don't know. But I get the impression it has something to do with our business contract."

"You have a business contract with Picotech?"

Trunks glared at her. "You're asking an awful lot of questions."

"Curious," Pan said with a grin, "you did drag me away from an awfully important girl's day out for this."

"If it was that important, you should have declined the offer." Trunks ducked into a hotel at this point. Pan followed him inside, but was uncertain about following him all the way to the desk. After a brief conversation with the receptionist, Trunks turned back and exited with her.

They walked in silence for a bit before Pan asked, "Why did you ask me?"

Trunks looked surprised. "Sorry?"

"Why did you ask me to accompany you? Did you try Bulla or your mum?"

Trunks scratched the back of his head. "Uh, no... But I knew you were in town and I knew that shopping bored you -"

"It's not that I don't like it," Pan said over the top of him, "I just tire of doing it for hours on end."

"Besides, do you really think anything can tear my sister away from spending money?" Trunks pointed out, "someone must be taking over the world in order for that to happen."

Pan laughed, "Fair point."

"Besides, I wouldn't get to see you today otherwise," Trunks said, oblivious to the bright red Pan became upon hearing that.

They tried a few more hotels before Pan brought up the other point that was on her mind. "Is your secretary really pregnant?"

Trunks scowled. "Yeah."

Pan tilted her head to one side in confusion. "Aren't you pleased?"

"Pleased?" Trunks exclaimed in exasperation, "Who'd be pleased? It means I have to find a replacement, which is becoming much more troublesome that it's worth."

"That's a little harsh," Pan said softly, "discarding one just because you got her pregnant."

Trunks stared at her in horrified silence before shouting, "it's not mine!" Several heads turned and a shocked muttering spread out amongst the onlookers.

Pan stared at him with wide eyes before grinning and turning away. "I know. Goten told us: said you're always complaining to him about being mistaken for the parent, the maternity leave and finding a replacement."

"Like I said, it's a lot of trouble," Trunks growled, stalking after her.

"You haven't found a replacement yet?"

"No, and the one we've currently got is a dragon in disguise. Not the sort that grants wishes mind you, the sort with fire coming out of its mouth and destroying everything in its way, which is usually the good mood in the office."

"Bit like in the latest Godzilla movie? With green spines and fangs and wings?"

"Yeah, but in human form."

"Nasty."

"Wait here a moment, I'm going to check this hotel." Trunks said suddenly, running away from her to enter a plain looking apartment block.

"Not much of a hotel," Pan observed, and then the word caught her eye. There was a much flashier building down the road on a street corner with the name lit up in lights. 'Why didn't he go for this one?' Pan wondered, wandering over to it, 'it looks more like a hotel a president might stay in, with its columns and lights.'

She glanced back to the building Trunks had entered and grinned. He must have been planning on entering this one next. 'So I'll do it for him,' Pan decided, 'he brought me along to be helpful.'

She hurried through the double glass doors and up to the reception counter. "Um... excuse me?"

A blonde thin male in a fancy tailcoat peered over the top of the desk at her. "Can I help you?"

"Yes, I'm searching for a man named Koizumi Akihiko. I was wondering if he was staying here."

The man looked Pan up and down. "I don't know, but I can look for you. Just for the record, how old are you?"

"Eleven. Is he here?"

"Well, now, even if he was, I think you're a little young to be seeing him, Miss?"

"What! Don't give me that crap! I want to know if he's here or not! If you're worried about age, I have a much older friend outside who also wants to see him. He's over twenty so hurry up and tell me if he's here!"

"Twenty on an eleven... that's too much, even for me," the receptionist said, paling.

"Huh?" Pan said, just as her phone went off. "Excuse me." Pan stepped away from the counter in order to answer. "Hello?" Behind her, the receptionist picked up the phone and hurriedly dialled a number.

"Pan, where are you?"

"Oh, hey Grandma," Pan said, suddenly guilty, "sorry for rushing off. Guess I forgot to tell you. I'm with Trunks."

"Trunks?"

"Yeah, Trunks. We're seeing a friend of his."

"Where are you now?"

"Um... hang on," Pan exited and glanced up at the flashing sign, "the Her-Hera Him-Eros Hotel... that's a weird hotel name."

"WHAT!"

"Pan!" Pan turned as Trunks hurried up to her, "there you are. Why'd you disappear like that?"

"I thought I'd check out this hotel whilst you were checking out the other one." Pan gestured up at the hotel and then returned her attention to the phone, down which Chi-chi was screaming something. "Sorry Grandma, I was talking to Trunks. What were you saying?"

"In here?" Trunks asked before Pan could hear anything Chi-chi said. Pan glanced up. Trunks looked petrified.

"Yes."

"You told Chi-chi you were here."

"Yes."

They both glanced at the phone down which Chi-chi was screaming, "you lay one finger on her and I'll rip your testicles and shove them down your-" Trunks hurriedly hung up for Pan.

"Oi, what'd you do that for?" Pan complained.

"Pan," Trunks said seriously, and slightly scared, "we need to find Koizumi Akihiko, now!"

"I get that but..."

"Not for his safety any more, for mine."

"Why?"

"Because you've just told Chi-chi that I've taken you to a love hotel and I need proof that I haven't."

'L-love hotel!' Pan felt heat flush her face scarlet and steam come out of her ears.

"Pan, come on!"

"R-right!"

They seemed to have checked every hotel they came across, carefully avoiding making Pan's mistake again. Still no luck and rush hour was approaching. They reached a cross roads and were about to head down a street marked with a hotel when Trunks had spotted a familiar limousine parked opposite outside the Satan's Fist Dojo. "Wonder what's wrong?"

Inside, they met Karen and Larry who had been round every high class hotel in town without finding anything. "I wondered if he'd been using a false name," Karen suggested, "but even my descriptions of him came up with no results."

"I considered that as well," Trunks admitted, "but it can't be helped."

"Um... if you're meeting him, wouldn't he tell you where he's staying?" Pan asked.

The adults stared at her. "He told us where to meet him, but not where he was staying," Trunks explained to her.

"Aren't they one and the same?"

The adults glanced at one another. "We had reasoned they wouldn't be, but there's no harm in checking," Trunks murmured. "To the Six Wings Hotel then."

As they climbed into the limo, Pan took the opportunity to note Karen's stomach. "You're not showing much," she observed.

Karen smiled, "I'm only in my third month. I want to have found and trained a replacement for Mr Briefs by February. That will be my seventh month and the perfect time to leave."

"Just in time for Valentine's day," Trunks muttered.

The Six Wings hotel was a dozen floors high and prided itself on its foreign cuisine, which made up for its lack of decent room service. Karen, being the smartest dressed, asked at the reception desk after Koizumi Akihiko whilst Pan and Trunks stayed in the limo. She was returning to the car, shaking her head at them, when a short dark haired man passed her in the opposite direction and made her start and turn.

"Mr Koizumi Akihiko?"

The man physically jumped, turned terrified to stare at Karen and then ran deeper into the hotel. Pan and Trunks leapt into action.

"Karen, stay at this entrance. Pan, hurry through the building and seek him out. I'm heading for the back entrance so he can't escape that way."

Pan nodded and dived through the doors to the ground floor guest rooms, ignoring the receptionist's complaints. Soon she began to hear panting and then rounded a corner to come face to face with the short man. "Mr Koizumi Akihiko?"

The man started again, tripped over his own feet in his haste to see who had found him and fell on his back. Pan stood over him as the man cowered. "It's alright," she said reassuringly, trying to think of what might calm the terrified little man down. "I'm here with Mr Briefs, president of Capsule Corp."

"Mr Briefs?" the man asked, lowering his arms to get a good view of Pan. "I don't believe it. Why would he be here?"

"I was worried about you," Pan was relieved to hear Trunks' voice because she had no real explanation for why she was here. Trunks approached the pair from the opposite direction and knelt down to Mr Koizumi Akihiko's level. "After hearing you over the phone, I realised that you must be in a really serious situation and so I came looking for you."

"How did you know that I was in West City?"

"There would be no reason to withhold the number otherwise," Trunks pointed out, "besides, you didn't deny meeting me today when my secretary offered it to you based on the fact that you weren't in town but because you said that the time slot she offered you would not be long enough. That's what confirmed my suspicions."

"Very clever," Mr Koizumi Akihiko muttered, getting to his feet and looking Trunks up and down, "so you came looking for me." He paused. "I must admit, I expected you to be a little more... official."

"Huh?" Trunks glanced down at what he was wearing, "oh, well I was searching by foot. We didn't know where you were staying so we decided to try every hotel until we found you. In casual clothes, I don't stand out as much."

"I suppose that's why you brought your sister too," Koizumi Akihiko said.

"Yeah," Trunks said as Pan exclaimed, "I'm not his sister!"

Koizumi Akihiko looked between them. Trunks put his arm around Pan and explained, "I've known Pan since she was born. She's my best friend's niece. To me, she's like a little sister."

Somewhere inside Pan, her heart sank. It would probably require at least ten years stuck on a spaceship in outer space for Trunks to change his mind. Even the one person she thought didn't see her as a child saw her in much too similar a way for her liking. Unfortunately, her scowl went unnoticed by either male who had begun discussing Koizumi Akihiko's safety and their business deal.

"Why don't we discuss it now?" Trunks suggested and Mr Koizumi Akihiko, not seeing a reason to disagree, agreed.

"Come on Pan," Trunks said, clapping her on the back as Koizumi Akihiko moved away to get something from his room, "I've dragged you around town for most of this afternoon. Let me treat you to cake."

It was better than nothing. "Fine!" Pan exclaimed and led the way towards the restaurant.

* * *

And that is also the reason why I don't understand PanXTrunks pairings. He's at least 14 years older than her and has known her since she was tiny so I can't see any reason for there to be any romantic feelings on his part. I can understand Pan falling for him because of his understanding of her want to be treated like an adult, but I can't see him being in love with her; he has a little sister who's not much older than her so I can imagine that any romantic feelings would be strange for him.  
This is personal opinion, and I wish for that to be respected.

Anyway, next chapter is hopefully the final chapter on this tangent and also gets a little bit of action.

Until then :)


	7. Dragon's Talon

Good news: I have written the end of this tangent.  
Bad news: this is not the end.  
Good news: there's aren't that many chapters involved.  
Bad news: this isn't even the beginning of the end.  
Good news: there aren't that many chapters before Tanis' return.  
Bad news: she's not going to be around for very long before I fire her.  
Good news: here's the latest chapter.  
Bad news: I don't own Dragon Ball Z, or any of the rest of the franchise.

* * *

Admittedly, the cake was good. The only difficulty was her drink. Pan glared into her black coffee. She was still insisting that she was old enough to drink it, but the bitterness still caused her to pull faces with every mouthful. Trunks was having a hard time keeping himself from laughing whenever he saw it from the corner of his eye. He and Karen were deep in conversation with Mr Koizumi Akihiko about a partnership.

Pan wasn't much interested in the details of this but was more interested in studying the nervous businessman. Mr Koizumi Akihiko was rocking on his chair and kept glancing out of the window, as if he expected someone to be standing outside. Pan decided to see if she could spot what he was looking at. Turning her attention beyond the glass, Pan watched the street, which appeared to be the same as any other street in West City. People with shopping, children and parents, business people and tourists traipsed past the window, very few looked inside. Cars would occasionally go by. In short, nothing extraordinary.

Pan was about to turn away when there was suddenly a gap in the crowd and Pan's eyes suddenly saw a man in a black trench coat leaning against the wall on the opposite side of the street, his black wide brimmed hat pulled down low over eyes covered with sunglasses. Although she couldn't see where he was looking, Pan had a strong feeling that it was right back at her. She glanced away hurriedly; so they were being watched.

The conversation beside her was becoming heated now. "I won't agree to anything until I understand everything," Trunks was saying, "let me see it."

"I don't have it now, it's in my room."

"Then let's go and get it."

"I can't! You have to understand that this is not a safe enough place for me to show you it here..."

"Then let's get it and take it back to Capsule Corp, which I assure you has sufficiently tight security."

"I... I...," Mr Koizumi Akihiko had been backed into a corner, "I refuse to go up there alone."

"Don't worry," Trunks said, standing up, "I've already decided I'm not letting you out of my sight as long as you stay in West City. Let's go."

"Ah... yes..." Koizumi Akihiko said weakly, trailing after Trunks. Pan abandoned her black coffee and followed. Karen was returning to the limo to await them there.

In the elevator, Pan told Trunks, quietly so as to not disturb their companion, about the man in black who had been watching them. "If he does take action, I'll leave him to you," Trunks told her in return, "my top priority is getting Mr Koizumi Akihiko back to Capsule Corp."

"What's this deal about?" Pan queried.

"It's an agreement to revolutionise the computer industry by combining the computer processing of the latest Picotech technology and Capsule Corp downscaling hardware to create a new portable computer. Apparently, Picotech have already attempted it but it isn't coming along well. That's why they're turning to us."

"What do you get out of it?"

"Money and a new corner in world industry. Computer technology is a rising business and it's about time Capsule Corp found a way into it. I've been thinking about something like this for some time..."

"But what about this assassination attempt? That sounds like its more than about simply computers."

Trunks nodded in agreement and was about to say more when Mr Koizumi Akihiko turned round and glared suspiciously at the two, "What are you two whispering about?"

"I want to know what's going on," Pan said simply.

Koizumi Akihiko narrowed his eyes. "P-please stop, it's making me nervous."

"Very well, we apologise for making you worry," Trunks bowed, then trod roughly on Pan's foot as a signal that she should do the same.

The doors opened at the eighth floor. Koizumi Akihiko lead the way to room number 803 and opened onto a shabby, stuffy single room with peeling wallpaper and overshadowed by the building next to it. Koizumi Akihiko glanced behind him, reassured himself that Trunks and Pan were the only two who had followed him and then reached behind the old wooden wardrobe.

"People say that the Six Wings Hotel has poor accommodation," he said aloud, "but no modern hotel business with their built in wardrobes, carpeted floors and clean walls would have such hiding places as this hotel. It has survived for being slightly shady." As he said this, his fingers caught a knothole in the back of the wardrobe and pulled free a square panel. Pan and Trunks, observing the other side of the wardrobe with the aid of a torch, raised their eyebrows, suitably impressed.

But Koizumi Akihiko wasn't finished. For the panel wasn't that big, certainly not big enough to hide anything of vital importance. Instead, he pulled out a capsule and a key. Trunks recognised the capsule number but said nothing as Koizumi Akihiko crossed to the far corner of the room by the tiny window. He opened the capsule and placed the ladder that appeared beside the wall.

"Please hold the bottom," he told Trunks, who complied. At the top of the ladder, in the top corner of the room, Koizumi Akihiko slotted the bulky golden key into a hole that had been designed to look like a crack in the wall, and turned. A panel in the ceiling opened up, allowing Mr Koizumi Akihiko to retrieve what was within.

Trunks stared at the object in Koizumi Akihiko's hands. "All that for a briefcase," he said, slightly disappointed, "What's inside must be of incredible importance."

"What's inside the inside," Koizumi Akihiko said very quietly and set the briefcase down in order to open it up.

"Hey come look at this," Pan interrupted. She was glazing up and out of the tiny window.

"Is it really important now, Pan?" Trunks asked wearily. He just wanted to conclude this affair now, so he could write up the contract and get Mr Koizumi Akihiko out of West City as soon as possible.

"But there's a man standing on the building up there," Pan said, "And he's dressed really weirdly."

Koizumi Akihiko froze his thumbs on the clasps. "Does he have a cloak of red feathers?" he whispered in a petrified voice.

"Yeah, how did you guess?" Pan asked, turning to gaze at the terrified businessman.

"That's him!" Koizumi Akihiko hissed in hoarse tones, "that's the assassin that's been after me."

Trunks raced to the window to catch a glimpse of the assailant, "where, Pan?"

Pan looked back out and gasped, "He's gone!"

"Where was he?"

"He was up on the top of that spire on the roof of the building down there, balanced on the very top with his cloak wrapped around him."

"He might be coming here then," Trunks turned away, "so Mr Koizumi Akihiko... Mr Koizumi Akihiko!"

Koizumi Akihiko had already undone the locks on the hotel room door and burst through them into the corridor beyond. "I have to get out of here!" he gasped, "He's here to kill me!"

"Mr Koizumi Akihiko, calm down!" Trunks yelled, racing across the room to his new business partner's side. "He was still a way away; we can get you to the limousine with plenty of time. What exactly can he do here?"

"You don't understand," Koizumi Akihiko panicked, "attacks from above are his speciality. I watched him kill two of my best bodyguards from the air with flaming spikes..."

The window at the far end of the corridor smashed and something flew down the length of the corridor. Trunks hit the floor, pulling Koizumi Akihiko down with him in time to watch the flaming spike fly overhead, until it finally embedded itself in the wall at the far end where it stuck, still flickering with fire.

"What the heck?" Pan murmured, as she emerged from the hotel room and stared at the spike that had nearly killed the two business presidents, "It looks like a giant flaming needle!"

"See what I mean!" Koizumi Akihiko squeaked from beneath Trunks, "There's no place you can hide where he can't hit you. He's even managed to send one of those through the windows of my flying limousine, midflight. Killed my vice president, who shoved me down just in time." The president was blubbering in fear now.

Trunks gazed down at the little man cowering in fear beneath him and then at Pan. "I need to get Koizumi Akihiko to Capsule Corp," he said, "if we are attacked, do you think you can beat this assassin in red?"

"Oh please," Pan scoffed, "after what we've faced this will be a walk in a park."

Trunks grinned in relief. "Right," he hauled Koizumi Akihiko to his feet with one hand, steering him round with the other, "let's go then. That's right; keep that briefcase pressed against your chest like that. If the worst comes to pass, I'm sure it will make a decent bullet shield."

"He doesn't use bullets," Koizumi Akihiko whispered, "he doesn't need to."

Pan and Trunks exchanged looks and shoved the whimpering businessman into the elevator.

* * *

Karen was waiting outside with the limousine and a worried expression. As Trunks, Mr Koizumi Akihiko and Pan emerged from the shelter of the Six Wings Hotel lobby, she opened the door and gestured for them to get in. "I've told Larry to leave anyone behind if he has to," she whispered to Trunks, "His top priority is getting Mr Koizumi to Capsule Corp. We both know you can handle yourself."

"Thanks, Karen," Trunks hissed back.

Pan was about to follow him in when the colour black caught her attention and she turned to see the man in the black coat approaching them from out of the crowd. "Go ahead without me!" she called to Karen, who was climbing into the front seats and dived at the approaching stranger. He gave a shout and swiped at her, but Pan ducked and leapt to kick the man in the chin. He staggered back and Pan went in with a second kick to the chest then a swipe at his legs to make him hit the floor. Pan landed on his chest and grabbed his coat collar. As the limousine pulled away, the man reached out for it but Pan shook him so pull his attention back to her.

"What do you want with Koizumi Akihiko?" she shouted, pulling him close to her.

Pan's initial kick had knocked away the man's sunglasses and he now stared at her with big brown eyes. Pan's inner child giggled; this guy's chibi eyes were a stupid addition for an assassin. Her inner fighter made her fist pause as she bunched it by her ear in an obvious threat if he didn't answer; these eyes didn't look like the eyes of a killer, ignoring the chibi appearance.

"I'm a bodyguard!" the man squealed.

"A likely story!" Pan cried.

"It's true!" the apparent bodyguard exclaimed, "many of us have already been killed by the assassin after Mr Koizumi, so he told me to keep my distance from him to avoid any more casualties and keep an eye out for the assassin inconspicuously because he likes to appear on rooftops and attack from above."

Parts of what he was saying matched with the little information Koizumi Akihiko had blabbed about earlier. Pan released her fist and paused in thought. It explained why he had been outside rather than inside the restaurant; if the assassin attacked from above, he would have been keeping an eye on the local rooftops, which was more subtly done outside the building than from within.

"Really," Pan said, finally admitting her mistake and getting off the bodyguard, "you call this attire inconspicuous?" The bodyguard remained frozen on the ground, staring up in horror. "What now?"

The bodyguard pointed up and moaned slowly, "the assassin was on that roof just now. He must be chasing after the limousine."

Pan looked up, worried. "Go to Capsule Corp," she instructed the bodyguard, "That's where we're taking your boss."

"Where are you going?" the bodyguard called, reaching for Pan as she ran off.

"Where do you think?" Pan demanded and with a giant leap she flew up to the roof where the assassin had last been seen.

Pan landed and looked around for the mysterious figure with the red cloak. There was a flash of scarlet to her right and she turned to see the tips of red feathers disappearing. She cursed quietly and flew in that direction. She glanced down and spotted a familiar limousine on the road below. "Oh no, you don't," Pan muttered and hurried after the strangely dressed assassin.

* * *

Next chapter actually has action in it! And some girl power ;)

Who is this mysterious assassin? What is in the briefcase? Find out next time... sort of...


	8. Dragon's Wings

This chapter contains real girl power! And also contains vital clues so pay attention because, just to warn you, I love sneaking in clues and seeing which of my readers can guess what's going to happen before it does. I'm just that kind of writer :)

In response to Writer's Fantasy: The assassin is most definitely male. Interesting idea, but it wouldn't be as much fun to read about being completely overwhelmed by girls if the opponent is of the same gender. :P

* * *

Trunks glanced worriedly back as the limousine pulled away from the Six Wings Hotel. "Was that the assassin Pan's fighting?" he asked Karen.

"I don't know, sir," Karen replied honestly, "it was a strange man dressed in black. In my personal opinion, he did look very suspicious."

Koizumi Akihiko squeaked. "That's highly likely to be my bodyguard," he admitted.

"Your bodyguard," Trunks repeated slowly, "but Pan said that she spotted him outside the hotel, watching us. Isn't that too great a distance for the bodyguard to effectively do his job?"

"I ordered him not to hang around me," Koizumi Akihiko said quietly, "I've watched too many people die protecting me physically. So my orders were to stay away and keep an eye out for the assassin from a distance, so I can be prepared for when he came to me." He clutched the briefcase closer to his chest.

"I'm sure Pan will figure that out," Trunks said firmly, "she's a smart girl." He looked sideways at Koizumi Akihiko, expecting the businessman to look slightly relieved. Instead, he was staring at the roof of the limousine. "What's wrong?"

"Above," the president hissed, "whilst we're on the ground, he'll attack from above."

"Aren't assassinations carried out inconspicuously?" Trunks queried, "in which case, wouldn't an assassin dressed in a red cloak of feathers attacking a limousine from above be slightly obvious?"

"He doesn't care about such things," Koizumi Akihiko muttered, "he attacked me in broad daylight as I crossed the ornamental courtyard of my business headquarters."

Trunks turned to look behind them. "I'm sure Pan will handle it," he said.

"She's a child," Koizumi Akihiko screeched, "a little girl! What can she do against a full grown, well trained assassin-?"

A long thin sharp blade penetrated through the roof of the limousine. It narrowly missed Trunks' outstretched arm as he pushed Koizumi Akihiko out of the way. The president screamed as there was another scream, a female one, which was saying, "don't you dare! I'm your opponent!"

There was a loud grunt, a groan of metal and the blade disappeared as its owner was kicked from the roof of the limousine. There was a light thud as Pan alighted on the roof before a louder one as she pushed off from it to charge her assassin opponent.

There was a moment of silence as the limousine carried on travelling before Trunks released his pressure on Koizumi Akihiko, who rocked upright again with a stunned look on his face. "Told you Pan would deal with it," Trunks said calmly.

Koizumi Akihiko turned to him in amazement. "How did you know that was going to happen?" he whispered hoarsely.

Trunks jerked a thumb over his shoulder. "Like I said, an assassin in red attacking us is obvious. And obviously the first people to notice him would be the people behind us. So I acted as soon as I saw them react."

Koizumi Akihiko stared up at the hole in the roof. "I believe I've caused damage to your car," he said weakly after a while.

Trunks laughed, "Trust me, this isn't the worst thing that's happened to it." In the front, Larry chuckled along with his boss.

Koizumi Akihiko looked behind them. "What if he comes after us again?"

"Don't worry," Trunks grinned, "Pan's a lot tougher than she looks."

* * *

Pan wouldn't have recognised the assassin if it hadn't been for two things: the short scarlet feather he had dangling from a chain through one ear; and the fact that he had just attacked the limousine in which Trunks and Mr Koizumi were travelling. Somewhere, he had discarded his red cloak and revealed his attire beneath – black skin tight long sleeved top and baggy black trousers. If he hadn't done what he had just did and carry the rapier to prove it, Pan would have disregarded him as an average passerby. A rather good looking passerby with his spiky auburn hair and pale narrow face. Only his eyes, his hard brown eyes, revealed his true personality.

"Where's the feathered cloak?" Pan asked as they two eyed each other.

The assassin laughed coldly. "I've just stabbed a limousine and you want to know where the feathers went?"

"Just curious," Pan murmured and leapt at his, lashing out with her foot. He blocked her with his free arm and lunged at her with the rapier. Pan lent back and the tip whizzed over her head. In a swift movement, the assassin changed the direction, swiping downwards. Pan moved with it, avoiding the blade edge. The assassin caught her foot to restrict her movements, so Pan brought her free foot up, blocked the blade and twisted in the air out of the assassin's grasp.

The assassin's eyes narrowed. "You're good," he admitted.

"Thank you," Pan said with a smile and leapt at him again.

However he disappeared, leaping up the building with astonishing speed and agility. Pan growled and flew after him. The assassin reached the top and turned to glare down at her. Red feathers seem to explode from behind him and suddenly a flaming spear was aiming straight for her. Pan avoided it easily. She was about to call up at the assassin when she saw his grinning face. With growing nervousness, Pan looked back at the flaming spear, which was heading directly for the watching public.

Cursing the laughing fiend above her, Pan turned in mid air and raced after the assassin's spear. But she had barely moved and she knew that she wasn't going to make it. She had left it for too long. It was heading straight for a public bus. "No!"

There was a loud cry and something leapt onto the roof of the bus. Again with the loud scream and the being atop the bus flicked the spear back into the air with a high kick. A shadow fell over Pan and she looked up at a second figure, hovering in the air. There was a crunch as the figure's fist collided with the flaming needle as it sped past and the needle crumbled.

Pan brought herself to a stop and grinned with relief. "Grandma! 18!"

The rest of the shopping party were appearing from the crowd now. Pan remained in the air as Android 18 joined her daughter, Bulma and Bulla as Chi-chi leapt down off the bus. "Come down here, now Pan!" she demanded.

Pan paused and shook her head. "Sorry Grandma! That guy is after Trunks' guest. I promised I'd take care of him."

"Don't you dare mention that man in my presence!" Chi-chi screamed, "When I get my hands on him..."

"That's all a misunderstand Grandma, honest!" Pan yelled, "but I have to go; now!"

"Wait! Come back here!" Chi-chi screamed, but Pan was already flying out of range of hearing.

"I'll go after her," 18 told Chi-chi calmly. "I'm intrigued by this opponent."

"If he's Trunks' guest then they'll probably be heading for Capsule Corp," Bulma told Chi-chi, "why don't we meet them there and get a full explanation. And if my son has been mistreating Pan, don't you worry. You're not the only one he should be worrying about."

Bulla let out a gleeful laugh as she followed her raging mother and Chi-chi in the direction of their car, allowing Marron to trail behind her bemusedly.

* * *

The assassin was struggling now. The little girl might have been easy to lose, but she had bought the limousine enough time to get away. Giving up on locating it by sight, the assassin turned his attention to the Capsule Corp building with a smile. Wherever they went, they would be returning there at some point. He began running along his rooftop perch in that direction. He should simply beat them there then they'd be sitting ducks.

There was a tingling on the back of his neck and he turned in time to avoid a punch to the face from a furious little girl. "You again," he hissed, leaping back onto the roof and drawing his blade with a flash. Pan blinked and twirled in the air to avoid what appeared to be an arc of fire that soared past her and dissolved into the air.

"Don't get distracted," 18 yelled from behind her, blocking the rapier blade as the assassin lunged at the sidetracked girl floating in the air.

"Oh look, you've brought Mummy," the assassin jeered.

"I'm not her mother," 18 said calmly, snapping the rapier blade in half. The assassin pulled back and stared at his blunted blade as 18 dropped the other half onto the flat rooftop. She raised her hand. There wasn't a single mark to show she'd handled anything more deadly than a chopstick.

Pan landed on the roof beside 18 and stuck her tongue out at the stunned assassin. "You better watch out," she said happily, "I'm Mr Satan's granddaughter and this is a world tournament finalist, 18! You have no chance."

The assassin regarded them both and then his sword again expressionlessly. Then he sighed dramatically. "How am I supposed to kill Koizumi Akihiko now?" he asked aloud.

"I still don't understand why you want to kill him," Pan said, "He's a snivelling coward."

"Orders are orders," the assassin shrugged, "I've been told to kill him, so I will kill him. Before he hands the secret over."

"Would the secret happen to be inside a silver briefcase?" Pan asked curiously.

The assassin regarded her intently and then shrugged. "Only he would know." He sheathed the remainder of his sword back into his belt and turned his back on the women. "Okay, this mission is a failure. I shall retreat for now. Be sure to pass on the message."

"Hang on! We're not going to let you go that easily. We're going to drag you back to Capsule Corp so you can tell him yourself!" Pan yelled. She launched herself forward at the assassin only to be stopped short. "Let me go!" she demanded of Android 18, who had grasped the back of her collar.

18's eyes were fixed on the assassin's back. The assassin turned and grinned at them. "You should take Mummy's advice, girly-"

"She's not my mother!"

"Whatever, be seeing you." The assassin stepped over the edge of the roof and disappeared from view. 18 finally let Pan go and Pan raced to the roof's edge, but the assassin was nowhere to be seen.

"Why'd you stop me?" she asked 18 angrily, "I could have easily taken care of him!"

"No doubt," 18 responded calmly, "but what he said worried me."

"What's that?"

"He had orders. There was someone pulling the strings behind this. I don't think attacking him would have been wise; it might have resulted in a stronger counterattack. For now, I think we should let him go."

"Fine," Pan glowered at the ground. "Where'd he go?" she wondered aloud.

18 meanwhile had picked up the broken rapier blade and was weighing it in her hands, her expression unreadable.

* * *

Trunks managed to get Koizumi Akihiko back to his office without incident. The only point of worry was the man's reaction to Tanis. Koizumi Akihiko had fully hidden behind Trunks when he spotted Tanis sitting at Karen's desk, glowering in her current boss' direction.

"I hope you are happy that you've managed to waste an entire afternoon on this wild goose chase whilst I was busy keeping your business afloat for you," Tanis demanded as Trunks began to gently push Koizumi Akihiko past the desk.

"Yes, yes, now excuse me," Trunks said distractedly, purposefully shutting the doors in Tanis' angry face.

"That woman's a demon, you know," Koizumi Akihiko murmured.

"Isn't she; thankfully she'll be gone by the end of this week," Trunks groaned, then looked down curiously at the little man still clutching the briefcase to his chest, "how do you know her?"

"I interviewed her for position of my secretary. Nearly gave her the position out of fear of her. Thankfully, there was someone better and nicer so I had an excuse to turn her away. She terrified me!"

"Hmm," Trunks agreed vaguely; he was learning that it wasn't difficult to terrify Koizumi Akihiko.

"I've asked Karen to notify me when your bodyguard and Pan arrive," Trunks said, seating himself behind his desk, "in the meantime, why don't we discuss the central point of our business deal?"

Koizumi Akihiko was gazing over his shoulder at the door to Trunks' office. "I'd rather get the paperwork out of the way, if it's all the same to you," he said nervously.

Trunks glared at the back of the little man's head and then at the door. "Of course," he said, suddenly launching himself across the office space, performing a perfect forward roll and straightening up to open the door with a sharp jolt. Tanis fell forward and into Trunks' chest. She stepped back, adjusted her glasses and looked Trunks straight in the eye, as if she had been about to open the door herself. "Go get the proper business paperwork for us please," Trunks said firmly and shut the door again.

He paused and once he was certain the affronted Tanis had moved off he returned to his desk and drew said paperwork out from one of the drawers. "Very well," he said, "but I insist that you explain that briefcase as soon as this is finished."

* * *

As soon as Pan and 18 arrived at Capsule Corp, they were escorted to Trunks' office on the top floor. They arrived just as Koizumi Akihiko and his bodyguard were leaving, accompanied by Trunks. 18 relayed the message emotionlessly and then departed to find her daughter. Trunks grinned thankfully and excused himself on the basis of catching up on work he'd neglected that afternoon, leaving Pan with the Picotech president who looked the most relieved Pan had ever seen him.

Koizumi Akihiko stepped forwards and grasped Pan's hand. "Thank you so very much for taking care of me," he said, "tell me what you want; I'll give anything to the girl who saved my life!"

"Technically, Trunks saved your life," Pan admitted guiltily, "I accidentally mistook your bodyguard as the assassin so let him have that second attempt at your life and nearly let him have a third when I lost him again. So if you're going to thank someone, thank Trunks."

Koizumi Akihiko waved the thought aside, "I thanked him through the newly completed business deal. Believe me, it's cost me dearly but I'd do anything for the man who kept me alive. I am certain that I would have died if he had ignored his instincts and met me when we had previously arranged. But I'd like to give you something in thanks, anything!"

"Anything?" Pan thought carefully and then grinned, "Tell me what's so important about that briefcase."

Koizumi Akihiko's smile slipped. He stared at Pan for a long while before nodding and saying simply, "our latest technology. I am certain that Mr Briefs will tell you in greater detail. If he doesn't, tell him the information is my gift to you. Now I have to go. That assassin might be gone but there may be more than one after me!"

18's statement flitted through Pan's mind as she watched Koizumi Akihiko and his bodyguard leaving. As much as she wished it false, she believed, deep down, Mr Koizumi Akihiko's was truer than he realised.

* * *

Okay, that wasn't much of a fight but this isn't supposed to be an action fanfic. Not right now but heck, I didn't even plan any of the last few chapters so who knows what's going to spawn from my plot bunnies any time soon. But for now, this is this.

Stay tuned for the next chapter which is both my least and my favourite chapter so far...

It will also be the end of this little arc and time to say goodbye to a dragon that hasn't had as much screen time as she deserves...


	9. Dragon's Heart

Okay, so apparently my computer has a virus so my uni has thrown me off my accommodation internet network... during the very week when I need it to complete two essays. Not going to lie, this has not been fun. In revenge, I am currently using the library wireless network to upload this :D

* * *

I was hating Tanis' character. I was putting off writing this for so long because I couldn't find the words to give her. But this ending came so naturally and I so love it. There is a definite point in this chapter where I stop hating it and start loving it and that is when Tanis' character really comes out. I don't care if it goes against all you've expected of her. I think that this was how Tanis' character was supposed to be. And believe me, I didn't plan this at all!

But now we have to say goodbye to her. Maybe I'll bring her back, maybe I won't. Depends...

* * *

A little time later, Trunks' office was crowded with women. Tanis had so far said nothing on the subject because Karen had tactfully sent her to get tea and coffee for Trunks' guests before they arrived. Said guests – consisting of Pan, Chi-chi, Bulma, Bulla, 18 and Marron – initially gathered round Trunks' desk and demanded to know why Trunks had been dragging Pan into love hotels.

"I didn't take her there! She went there on her own accord!" Trunks said in defence.

"I'm sure you didn't tell her what it was before you entered," Chi-chi was screeching whilst Bulla was laughing, "Trunks is such a paedophile."

Trunks met Pan's eyes and begged her silently to step in and explain. Pan was sorely tempted to leave him to it, but suspected that he'd be less likely to relieve her of her curiosity about the briefcase if she did. So she braved Chi-chi's wrath and ironed out the misunderstanding.

A little later, the women perched on the sofa in Trunks' office drinking tea and coffee and comparing shopping whilst Trunks, Pan and Bulma (who had become interested in Koizumi Akihiko's business deal) sat around his desk and examined the briefcase.

"Well, open it up;" Pan said excitedly, "he did say that it was inside this that was important."

"I'm going to, I'm going to," Trunks grumbled, flicking open the latches, "I wanted to work out what it could be before I did so."

"The easiest way to see what's inside is to open it up," Pan said firmly, grasping the briefcase's rim and yanking the lid upwards. Then paused.

Nestled inside the lid was a computer screen. It was slimmer than any of the computer screens they had seen before. Two panels covered in velvet lay atop the bottom of the case. These folded to either side to reveal a keyboard and on button. The underside to the velvet panels were revealed to be another thin screen to the left and a second keyboard on the right, the letters and numbers rearranged in a strange square.

"This is certainly at a higher standard than any other computer I've seen in the technology market," Bulma admitted.

"Let's see what it does," Pan said gleefully, dramatically stabbing down at the on button.

The top screen brightened and then switched on. The Picotech appeared on the screen as the machine loaded and then turned to a brightly coloured wallpaper of the main desktop. Trunks stared at it and then at the keyboard. "Where's the mouse?" he asked.

"Try the little square at below the keyboard," Bulma suggested. Trunks ran his finger across the square and a little white curser appeared and moved across the screen. "Touch sensitive controls," Bulma said, impressed.

After fiddling for a while, Trunks managed to manoeuvre the controls so it displayed the programmes uploaded onto the machine. He scrolled through them, eyebrows rising steadily. "The very latest computer software and state of the art internet security installed."

"Do you think that this is what he meant by 'inside the inside'?" Pan queried, moving round the briefcase to view it from behind. "Hey look, I've found where you can plug things in; there's a panel that can be removed from the back to reveal holes. The battery's here too."

"Hey, Pan, stop fiddling. You don't want to damage this thing," Trunks said angrily.

"Trunks look," Bulma called her son's attention back to the device on the tabletop, "there's a saved file. I guess that Mr Koizumi thought talking would be too dangerous so left you this, where you can only read it if you managed to gain the machine."

Trunks double clicked and opened the document. It was indeed written by Mr Koizumi Akihiko, beginning in big bold letters "Congratulations First User of the Flattop!"

"Flattop?" Trunks repeated curiously, "That's a good marketing name, but this isn't very flat."

"Maybe that's your job," Pan suggested, coming round to look at it with them, "to make this flatter?"

"Yes," Trunks agreed, "it'll boost its market value." He looked like he was about to say more, but trailed off in thought.

"What do you mean by 'inside the inside'?" Bulma asked Pan.

"It was something Koizumi Akihiko said about the briefcase," Pan explained, "he said this was his latest technology and it was inside the inside. So the software, right?"

"No," Trunks corrected her, "Picotech deal with computer hardware. This is the latest Dopee software: Merlyn Internet and Anti-virus Security, Minisoft office, the latest Dopee visual and audio adaption programmes. None of these are actually developed by Picoware, but by partner businesses."

"So by inside the inside, he's referring to the internally components of this machine," Bulma said, tracing a finger down the rim of the machine.

"So let's open it up and find out what he was talking about!" Pan said excitedly.

Trunks shook his head. "No, taking this apart must be done carefully and preferably alongside Capsule Corp researchers. This is our only version of the prototype so we have to modify it carefully." He turned to his mother, "can I put you in charge of this project, Mum? I know you have lots of experience dealing with hardware that's alien to you."

"Of course, darling," Bulma said happily, pecking Trunks on his forehead, "I'm getting excited about this already."

"Wha-?" said someone from the doorway. They turned to see Tanis standing there in complete shock.

"Is that the information I asked concerning the latest Picotech products?" Trunks asked, deciding to ignore the expression of disgust and fury growing on Tanis' face, "can I have it here please...?"

"What is going on here...?" Tanis hissed, gazing around at the women currently in her boss' office and who were beginning to take notice of her. "I understood that I was working for a notorious womaniser, but to think you had the audacity to bring his harem into the office during working hours!"

There was a general blink of surprise. "A harem?" Pan murmured as Trunks exclaimed loudly, "What?"

Tanis' outstretched finger shook with rage as she gestured at the gathering. "What else would you call this?" she demanded, "what else could it be when you take into the equation the fact that you impregnated your own secretary. Then you had the nerve to request that she finds you another play thing whilst she's away." Trunks groaned and buried his face in his hands. So Tanis believed those rumours, did she?

"Tanis, I think I've told you before: this is not Trunks' child." Karen appeared from behind Tanis wheeling in the tea trolley to conduct refills on the guests' drinks. "Please will you stop...?"

Tanis whirled around and clamped her hands down on Karen's shoulders. "There's no need to keep hiding it," she said seriously, "I know. I've been observing you over the last week and I know about everything. Why else would Mr Briefs go out of his way to be considerate of you if there was not some romantic connection?"

"Because I'm pregnant," Karen said dully.

"And why yet he insisted that you accompanied him today," Tanis said triumphantly, "when he was visiting all those hotels." All eyes were on Trunks who had gone an unexpected shade of red underneath his hands. "Doesn't want to strain you and yet doesn't want to be parted from you," Tanis said, her finger striking out again in Trunks' direction, "positive proof of his romantic feelings for you."

There was a long pause before Karen sighed and removed Tanis' hand from her shoulder. "Thank you for that constructive analysis of my relationship with my boss," she said calmly, "it's a pity that none of it is correct. Unlike you, Tanis, I have the decency not to mistake the trust of my employer as advances in the field of romance."

"What does that mean?" Trunks asked, finally emerging from behind his fingers.

"I did some digging into Tanis' background," Karen admitted, "I was concerned about her constant comparison between you and her previous employer. When I asked the basis for Tanis' dismissal, I was told that she had become enamoured by her boss and so had to be let go to avoid distracting him." Karen looked Tanis in the eye as the latter backed away, looking stunned. "I'm sorry Tanis, but I cannot match your personal feelings. I respect Mr Briefs as a businessman, but I have no interest in having a romantic relationship with him. That is why I am married to my husband."

"So basically, she's not yet over her previous boss," Bulla piped up from the sofa area, "that's why she's matching her experience with your relationship."

"But that's doesn't excuse her attitude towards Trunks," Bulma corrected her daughter, "that was highly unprofessional."

Tanis flared with indignation. "Who are you to correct me on professionalism?" she demanded, "I am perfectly aware about how proper business should be conducted. I know what the best president should be like and it isn't like him, it isn't, it isn't!

"And you!" she rounded upon Karen, "That was unprofessional of you to go digging in my personal history. As a secretary of a high ranking president, you should be focussing more on doing your job that the trivialities of others personal lives. How can a secretary be supportive," she raised her hand high above her head, "when their boss cannot trust them, to know what they are looking into?" The hand fell.

Trunks caught it before it connected with Karen's face. There was a silence into which Bulma complained about the way Trunks had leapt over the desk and knocked all the papers off, thereby causing quite a mess, and Pan staggered after catching the flattop, which was heavier and bulkier than she expected.

Tanis stared at Trunks and then wrenched her hand free from his grasp. "Tanis McCoy," he began with a sigh.

"I know," Tanis said slowly and quietly. She readjusted her glasses and raised her head slightly. "I've been hearing from Karen that I was only on trail for the week. But I still let it go to my head. I have acted incredibly unprofessionally, letting my personal feelings get the better of me. It's just..." she looked Trunks in the eye with the softest expression he'd ever seen her make, "when I first met you, you reminded me so much of him, that I instantly projected all my expectations of him onto you. I think, if I had become your new secretary, it would have destroyed our working relationship, just as it destroyed my previous one."

She turned to the rest of the room. "Please excuse my language and behaviour." There were tears leaking down her face. "I don't believe that I am completely over my..." she gulped and faced Trunks again. "As of this moment, I am resigning from my position as your replacement secretary. My resignation will take effect immediately. I am sorry for the way I have behaved towards you." She looked Trunks in the eye again and said, "I have come to understand this though. You may look incredibly scruffy, can often be lazy and tardy; but you are an efficient president for this company and have great consideration, not just for your high class business partners, but also for those that others would consider beneath you, your employees and the lower class businessmen for example. You are ready to help others in need and I think this is an admirable quality in a president such as yourself."

There was a long silence after Tanis left. Trunks was standing, rooted to the spot. Finally he said, "That's the most human I've ever seen her." He turned to Karen. "Run after her and tell her, if she ever needs a recommendation, she can expect a glowing report from us. She may have had the temperament of a dragon but she was an efficient secretary."

"Of course, sir," Karen said and left.

"That word has really riled you, hasn't it?" Bulma said with a grin, "'efficient', I mean."

"If she was trying to compliment me," Trunks said through gritted teeth, "she could have chosen a better sounding word. Efficient effectively means good. But I want to be the best." He continued in this vain of grumbling whilst the women laughed at him and teased him about his 'womanising' practices, because after the baby scare had died down they had run out of things to tease Trunks about and Tanis had given them plenty of juicy topics.

* * *

Karen caught up with Tanis as she waited for the elevator to carry her down and out of Capsule Corp. Tanis was the quietest that Karen had ever seen her and accepted Trunks' proposal with a small "thanks". It was only once she was in the lift that Tanis said, "I think, after all this, I've come to respect you most of all, Karen. Because you can keep your head despite the rumours and gossip and keep the professional appearance. I suppose that is what I really disliked about you and Trunks and why I was so harsh; what I saw was the perfect example of what I had wanted."

The lift doors began to shut. Karen sighed and wrenched them open, much to Tanis' shock. "The only reason I can maintain my professionalism and not start romanticising about my boss is because I understand completely our relationship," she told the stunned secretary, "it does help that I have a loving husband back at home to support me, or else I think I might have ended up in your position too." Tanis looked amazed at this. "Trunks is one of the most amazing businessmen you will meet precisely because this is not something he wants to be. Before you arrived, he used to escape out of the window most days to avoid the job. The only reason he hangs around now is because I'm leaving, because I did practically everything for him otherwise."

"Oh you noticed it didn't you," she snapped causing to Tanis look away sheepishly, "that the signature on some of the older reports was slightly different from the recent ones. That was why you checked over every report that Trunks signed. Because the older signatures were ones that I forged. You realised this but you didn't say anything. Maybe because you've had to do the same, or maybe you were bottling it up for a future argument." Karen looked Tanis in the eye and smiled, "either way, you said nothing. Thank you."

"May I suggest something?" she said, standing up from her position of leaning against the elevator doors, "I think the reason you fell for your previous boss was because you lacked a proper social life. Am I right? I can tell just from working with you for a few days that you're a workaholic. He was the first guy to every properly look at you and recognise you, wasn't he?"

Tanis looked down and nodded. Karen smiled and patted her fellow secretary on the shoulder. "The money for your work over the past few days should last you a while. Go out, get a social life and find another man. Don't search for one or you might end up in a worse situation than you have previously. But," she caught hold of Tanis' chin and raised her eyes so they were staring eye to eye, "if you really cannot let go, return to him and confess your feelings. It might be that he let you go so as to be in a relationship with you on a different level than employer and employee."

"Could it really?" Tanis asked hoarsely.

"That's what it was for me," Karen said brightly, finally letting the doors shut.

"What?!" Tanis exclaimed, her strident tone finally returning to her voice as she stared at where Karen's face had just been. She blinked for several seconds then let out a short, tight giggle. 'I suppose, I never did ask her how she met her husband,' she thought as she descended the Capsule Corp building, 'no wonder she can retain such professionalism.'

With that, Tanis McCoy – replacement number one: dragon – left the building.

* * *

Wow, I've had a complete change of heart about both Karen and Tanis after this. I'll admit it now, the Karen statement surprised me and I wrote it. I didn't see it coming, it just appeared on the page and thought, "what the heck? Roll with it."

Well, that's the first replacement. I have in mind a role that she could play so she will probably be making a come back, but not for a long time.

But now, you should be focusing on the mystery of the Flattop and what secretary replacement number two could be like?

I'll tell you this. She's completely different from Tanis. Obviously, otherwise this fic would lose all its fun ;)


	10. Second replacement: there is?

I'm on a role! Honestly, I'm getting so excited about this, and I haven't done that for a long time! :) The proof is my chapters are steadily getting longer; my original chapters were about 1500 words and now I'm getting over 2500 words. :D But this is so good! I keep getting new ideas all the time, can't wait to see where this goes!

* * *

Trunks spent the remainder of the week working alongside his mother on the Picotech project. They didn't dare break it down for now, instead they conducted several experiments on the version they had. Mr Koizumi Akihiko was currently on vacation, so his secretary told Karen, to recover from the shocking assassination attempts earlier that week. She would pass on the message as soon as Mr Koizumi Akihiko had returned and the business was secure.

"After all," she told Karen, "we have lost our vice president and several of our security staff over this and I'm certain that my boss still doesn't fully trust me. The business side is stable but our staff isn't. I'm sure you can understand, going through a process of change as you are."

"Yes, I can," Karen replied, unintentionally thinking of Tanis.

It had been a long time since Trunks had worked alongside his mother, not since the early days when he first took over as Capsule Corp president. Bulma had been alongside him every step of the way back then, not only to make sure that her son could handle being a businessman (she did worry that the Saiyan blood in him might make him want to settle everything with a sparring match like he did when he was younger) but also so that he had a decent enough support and reputation to stand on when she finally let him carry on on his own two feet. It was then she'd met Karen, then a rising young secretary new to Capsule Corp, and had approved of her but hadn't taken much notice of her.

Now Bulma was paying extra especially close attention to the people Trunks was working with, mostly the women. After Tanis' sudden outburst and complete misinterpretation of the situation, any employee might be either after Trunks, romantically or aggressively. Well, half her attention was focused on that. The rest was trying to figure out the secret to Koizumi Akihiko's strange machine.

So far they had concluded that it would be the most advanced computer on the market, even if it was released as it was. Its clunky design was a setback but the Capsule Corp design department already had their top operatives working on remodelling it into something smoother and sleeker.

"It has the potential to be that way, judging by the components such as the screen, keyboard and touch sensitive mouse controls," the chief designer said during their meeting briefing. "It is mostly due to the casing that makes it seem so large, heavy and outdated, outdated in comparison with some of your designs of course." This last comment was directed at Bulma who turned the conversation onto prototype deadlines.

"I could hardly take all the credit for most of my designs," Bulma admitted to her son afterwards, "after all I mostly copied from alien technology that was available."

* * *

Karen ordered Trunks to take the weekend off – "there was an assassin after you earlier this week, you should have some time out from dangerous activity" – which he used to train with his father like he used to when he was younger. It was good to let all the tension that had been building up inside of him out in a vain attempt to knock his father down from position at top Z-fighter. Trunks had his butt handed to him several times on a silver platter over the course of that weekend, but it felt so good to be relieved of stress and spend time with his family for once that he didn't care.

Not that Karen was very impressed when he arrived on Monday morning with a large bruise down the side of his ribs. His father had decorated that area with punches carefully so that it would heal at different rates, leaving an impressive mark of a middle finger in purple up the side of his son's body, whilst the surrounding area had already turned green. Even Trunks had been impressed by his father's handiwork; less impressed when said father refused to hand over a senzu bean in order for him to remove it. So Trunks had to explain to Karen why he was a little sore Monday morning to which Karen threw her hands up in the air, dumped the latest reports about the Koizumi project on his desk and left the room muttering, "Well at least it will stop you escaping out of the window."

Trunks grinned and buried himself in paperwork.

It was the first time in a long time that anything concerning Capsule Corp business had ever attracted his attention, possibly as a result of the dramatic circumstances under which the deal was concluded. There was something about this machine that captured Trunks imagination, something that no other projected had managed to do. Sure, his mum dabbled in alien technology from time to time, but that had been the norm since he's birth. His father was prince of all Saiyans after all.

'So what was it about this machine?' Trunks wondered a couple of days into the week. It was the day when they were finally going to take the lid off the Flattop and find out what made it tick. Bulma could hardly contain her excitement and Pan had even come across to West City to peek inside. Trunks thought it fair to let her; it was thanks to her that some freakish assassin hadn't made off with it and Koizumi Akihiko's life in the first place.

Koizumi Akihiko returned to work last Monday and had instantly phoned up Trunks to tell him that what they held was the only prototype. "We do hold all the parts needed to build a new one," Koizumi Akihiko informed him, "but it's missing a casing."

'Which is good,' Trunks had thought, 'because according to our design team it's the big, bulky design that holds it back.' Something about that bothered him.

They gathered in a Capsule Corp lab, where their highest skill computer technicians were currently dismantling the casing of the Flattop. Carefully, they prized the screen from the briefcase lid. It popped out much more easily than Trunks expected, as if it had only been resting within a snug containment. There were a few metal connections running up the back of the briefcase lid, but it was completely covered with insulating material.

"To stop electrical components leaking out I suppose," Bulma murmured, her eyebrows knitting together, "but why not make it all self contained." That point was bugging Trunks too, even more so after they had disconnected the keyboard and side screens too. Everything looked like it had been slotted into the briefcase for convenience and that the briefcase was not meant to be part of the machine at all.

The head of the operation approached them. "We're about to take off the front of the keyboard," he said, "Would you like to come and join us at the operating table? We'll only be removing the front and then replacing it once we've had a good look and maybe taken some pictures so as to conduct more experiments on the individual pieces."

They all agreed and joined him at a smaller table where he was going to do it himself, "so as to lower the spread of responsibility, sir." Gingerly, the technician slid his screwdriver into the side crack of the keyboard, wiggled it, felt movement within the component and finally managed to split it into two pieces.

The watchers gasped.

Well, most of them did.

"It looks like any other computer thing to me," Pan commented, staring over the rim of the table at the upturned computer parts. "My dad sometimes leaves them lying around when he's fixing something or other, usually our old BANMAC computer. What's so special about this one?"

"The detail," Trunks said, at the same Bulma said, "The size, I've only seen scaling like this in alien technology. Quite often even I have difficulty matching it with what is available on Earth."

"What?" Trunks and Pan said together.

"And if I'm not mistaken," Bulma continued, analysing the pieces further: mechanic mode on, "this processer and memory is not only the smallest I've ever seen but larger than the usual ones you find on Earth, and look at this connecting and this and this and this..."

The technicians were struggling to get pictures, Bulma kept moving around the machine so much. When they did get close enough, Bulma snapped at them that they could damage the components and insisted on doing it herself, "reduce spread of responsibility, right?"

Meanwhile Trunks had moved away from the machine pieces and was resting against the wall, eyes closed, holding his head. Pan hurried to his side as soon as she noticed him. "What's wrong, Trunks?"

"I don't know," Trunks admitted, "all week, there's something that's been bugging me about this machine. Now I don't know what to make of it."

Pan turned her back on him and inspected the excitement of the technicians and Bulma in particular. "It's nice to see your mum like this, though," she said, "I don't think she's worked this hard since the Blutz Wave Generator. Thought, as far as I can tell, she's like this every time she finds something alien-" Pan noticed Trunks expression and stopped. "What's wrong?"

"That's it, that's what's wrong," Trunks said slowly, "this machine, it's too advanced to be human. That's why I've been so on edge about it, because I get the feeling that it's something alien masquerading as something human. It explains the bulky case with is only an extra because they have all the components needed to build a Flattop but not the case. What if it was built by an alien?"

Pan, and now Bulma who had come over to find out what was wrong with her son, frowned in thought. "Then you'd have to ask Mr Koizumi Akihiko about it, wouldn't you?" Pan said at length.

Trunks nodded and turned to his mother, "can you keep analysing this and file a report to me containing any other unusual components as soon as possible?"

"Of course," Bulma agreed, returning to the technicians' side.

"I'm going to go up to my office and contact Mr Koizumi again," Trunks told Pan, "Find out exactly what that thing is."

"What can I do?" Pan asked excitedly.

"You can..." Trunks paused, staring down at the little girl, "um... watch for now."

"Aw!" Pan complained as Trunks moved away in the direction of the exit, "that's no fun." She trailed after him.

Back in his office, Trunks rang the Picotech president and told him what they had discovered upon opening up the Flattop. "Can you explain how your minor company has managed to manufacture such excellent produce that only aliens could match?" Trunks demanded down the line.

On the other end, Mr Koizumi Akihiko sighed. "As much as I'd like to help you," he admitted wearily, "I can't."

"What do you mean?" Trunks asked.

"The production of the Flattop was started before I rose to the position as president," Koizumi Akihiko explained, "as you should know, I came to this job about one year ago after my predecessor suddenly took ill. It started a month or so ago, when I received a report that one of our factories had begun receiving maintenance problems so went out to check on it. Upon arriving, I discovered that the computer systems it was supposed to be manufacturing were coming out very different. Indeed, all the pieces of the Flattop you currently possess came from that factory. No one in the business understands how or why the factory machines decided to produce something different and my predecessor appears to have disappeared, making suspicion fall upon him. But their purpose or even their construction is a mystery to me. I've had people stay watch in that factory overnight to try and see who is making the Flattops but they report they see no one.

"That is why I wanted to get your company involved," Koizumi Akihiko added, "or, to be more precise, you involved. I understand your family has had previous dealings with unusual technology."

"Yeah, you could say that," Trunks muttered. All this was becoming stranger and stranger. "But then, what's with the assassin?" he asked.

"I don't know," Koizumi Akihiko admitted, "it was obvious he was targeting me because of the Flattop when he first attacked me at the very factory I've just told you about. But why and for what purpose, I have only one idea: that my predecessor wants this to remain a secret or wants to return to his old position in order to continue this Flattop project. But why he doesn't come to visit me directly, I have no idea."

Trunks could hear that Koizumi Akihiko was getting hysterical again. He thanked the president for his cooperation and asked that some point in the future he could visit the factory in question.

"Certainly," Koizumi Akihiko agreed, "however we've closed it down for now. It just kept making and making these things so we decided that, until we can find the source controlling it all, we'll stop providing it with power and resources. Perhaps at a much later date, when we feel we have the situation more under our control, we'll show you around."

That sounded like a recipe for disaster, Trunks thought but didn't criticize the other man's way of working. He had just been under a great deal of stress, what with mysterious infiltrations in his business and suddenly assassination attempts. So Trunks thanked him and let it slide for now. He promised to keep Koizumi Akihiko updated on all they discovered about the Flattop and hung up.

A file was offered to him, "The latest update from the Flattop investigation laboratory, sir."

"Thanks, Karen," Trunks said wearily, taking the file and looking up the hand that offered it to the face above. He paused. "You're not Karen," he said slowly.

The face tried not to look offended, "That's right, sir. I'm not Mrs Rhodes."

"Right." Pause. "Who are you?"

"I'm currently on trial as your replacement secretary," the woman the other side of the desk told him. "My name is..."

"Oh..." Trunks said.

The second replacement let go of the document. "Will that be all, sir?"

"Um... yeah..." Trunks said. The replacement turned on her heel and hurried from the room.

There was an awkward pause.

"I did wonder why you kept calling the poor girl by my name," Karen said from the other side of the room, where she was pouring Pan coffee, "but to think that you hadn't twigged at all that this is the second trial week. Poor girl."

"I guess I've been so into my work that I hadn't noticed her," Trunks said, still slightly stunned by the whole proceedings.

Karen straightened up, "well, it's unfortunate, but we cannot have a secretary you don't listen to. But after that, I'm not certain she'd want to stick around." She left with the coffee pot.

Trunks let his head fall forwards onto the desk and groaned loudly. From the corner, Pan giggled, sipped her coffee and pulled a face. "So bitter," she complained quietly.

* * *

As much as I should pity this new secretary, I can't help laughing at Trunks' lack of attention. Ties in with not knowing Karen's first name, I suppose.

Anyway, I felt that I needed to add another secretary in between Tanis and the newbie because this makes their personalities stand out a lot more. Don't worry; the next one is a real... oh, can't say any more. That would be spoilers ;)

But I guess after everything that's been going on, this was not what you were expecting ;)


End file.
